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Football Stadium DigestFootball Stadium Digest covers major stories and events in the planning, construction and operations of NCAA and professional NFL football stadiums across the United States and Canada.

Buffalo Bills Seek On-Field Success Before New Stadium Request

The Buffalo Bills are still mulling their options for replacing New Era Field, but want to have some on-field success before requesting stadium funds.

New Era Field opened in 1973, and is among some of the more outdated stadiums in the NFL. The league has undergone some serious changes on its stadium front of late, including the relocation of the San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles and the move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas, the latter of which was approved on Monday.

Given that Qualcomm Stadium is now out of the league and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum has only a few years of NFL action remaining, it would seem that more attention will be paid to the Bills’ situation at New Era Field. Some NFL officials have expressed their desire to see the Bills pursue a new facility, and New Era is currently the league’s sixth-oldest stadium.

In a recent update, however, an NFL source told The Buffalo News that Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula are waiting for the team to have more on-field success. With public funds expected to be requested for a new stadium, the owners want to see the Bills improve and are taking their time to ensure that that happens. More from The Buffalo News:

“They want the team to have some success before asking for things,” the source told The Buffalo News Monday during the NFL’s annual meeting at the Arizona Biltmore.

The Bills have missed the playoffs for the past 17 seasons.

The source also said the Pegulas told the league they’re still early in the process of establishing themselves as owners of the Bills and understanding the dynamics of the franchise’s relationship with the community. They bought the team from the trust of the late Ralph Wilson in October 2014.

“That’s smart,” the source said.

The Bills had a 7-9 record in 2016, and will enter 2017 with a new head coach, as Sean McDermott was appointed to the position in January.